A/N: Sorry for being slow to post new chapters. The last month has been full of Covid, family, work, and travel. I'm posting 2 chapters at once (Ch. 3 and 4). They were originally one long chapter, but work better as separate chapters. The story will end up with 5 total chapters. Thanks for reading.


Aside from the jeers by Slytherin Quidditch diehards, Harry's morning walk from the Great Hall to the library and then to Transfiguration consisted entirely of people staring at his entourage and whispering to their friends about him. The five Gryffindors found the whole thing rather unnerving, each in their own way. The stop at the library had been a welcome refuge allowing everyone to collect themselves before venturing out into the wilds of the Hogwarts corridors.

Unbeknownst to Harry, walking with an entourage of four witches who weren't Daphne Greengrass led to new salacious rumors, these mostly being about Harry cheating on Daphne with the Gryffindor chaser trio. Nobody bothered to think that the subject of the rumors were 13-16 years old. Harry was accustomed to unwanted, illogical attention and normally would be able to work through his aggravation by grumbling to his close confidantes. Today, however, was different. Today the gossiping and whispering and rude looks and comments were causing his irritation levels to spike because all the negative attention directed at him was also cascading onto innocent people associated with him. His bodyguards were definitely feeling the strain of the negative attention in the corridors and responded to the more egregious students, some who were even Gryffindors, with loud admonishments.

"Oi, Angelina, why don't you spend time with a real wizard like me instead of puny Potter?" the brash voice of Cormac McLaggen sounded down the corridor.

Angelina yelled back, "Why don't you shut your mouth, McLaggen?" She then spoke through gritted teeth to her companions, "I've had it with these fools, especially that idiot McLaggen."

Harry nodded in agreement. "The castle is full of idiots," he said sourly and expounded on McLaggen, 'He's a really big idiot though, isn't he? Always peddling tosh about his seeker skills and how he should replace me."

Hermione frowned slightly, but the chasers laughed at the absurdity of replacing the youngest seeker in a century with a braggart like McLaggen. However, the good humor was short-lived and their exhaustion over the circus surrounding their seeker quickly returned. The bodyguards parted from Harry and Hermione when they got within eyesight of the Transfiguration classroom.

Angelina, who had held up to the scrutiny until the last encounter, decided to play to the rumors by patting Harry on the cheek and saucily saying, "I think you can make it to Transfiguration safely from here, Lover Boy. We'll see you at practice." She then winked at Harry before turning to his bushy-haired friend and said, "Get him through classes in one piece, Hermione. We need him tomorrow. Don't let weird Harry-things happen to him."

The seeker in question glared at his friends. "You know - this is rubbish. Everyone is treating me like a toddler," he complained with little heat.

Alicia chuckled and rubbed her brow. "Harry, if that walk is a sign of things to come, then I don't need Divination to tell you today is going to be shite. You'll need Fred and George's beater skills to get anywhere in the castle. Do me a favor and please don't ask me to escort you again today. Once was enough."

"Thanks for the reminder," he said bitterly. "For the record, I never wanted to put anyone through this. It was all Oliver's idea," he lamented.

"Trust me, we know whose idea it was. Anyway, some people can't keep from being terribly rude, like McLaggen, who is going to get an earful from me in the common room. Keep your wits about you, especially around the Slytherins. Yes, even your fake girlfriend." Alicia flashed a cheeky grin and moved away.

Harry rolled his eyes at his older pseudo-sister, which two-thirds of the chasers were trying to position themselves as. "Very funny, Alicia. You're right, but it's all still bollocks."

Katie stepped up last. She held Harry by his arm and faintly blushed. Katie appeared nervous as she looked into his eyes and earnestly said, "Talk to us if you need to vent or anything, Harry. I'm here, alright. More people care than you think." The youngest of the Gryffindor chasers gave Harry a timid hug and then nodded at Hermione before following her friends.

"Erm, thanks, Katie," Harry said bashfully. He was too embarrassed at getting hugged by one of his crushes to say anything else, though it did make him feel a bit less cranky. He still fondly remembered the hug and kiss on the cheek from Katie after he caught the snitch against Ravenclaw earlier that year.

While he enjoyed the company and appreciated the support between classes, Harry wished it would have occurred on another day. The shifts of bodyguards were going to prevent him from escaping to apologize to Daphne, which was still top of mind for him. He was already feeling quite agitated and grumpy about everything before even having one class. Harry also wanted to figure out Katie's strange behavior, but he couldn't think about that now.

Harry and Hermione began walking silently the rest of the way towards Transfiguration. Even from the end of the corridor, Harry noticed his fellow Gryffindors were all watching his approach, which made him feel grumpier, back to pre-"hug from Katie" levels.

As always, Hermione noticed his clouded expression and made her customary concerned inquiry into his mood, "Harry, what's wrong? You've never reacted like this to rumors in the past. What really happened with Daphne Greengrass?"

A conflicted look appeared on his face as he bit his lip pensively. Harry could trust Hermione and wanted to tell her now, but he wasn't ready yet. "I'll tell you the full story later. The only thing I'll say now is that I really need to apologize to her today and I'm never going to have a chance because of all my helpful bodyguards."

Hermione pursed her lips and nodded contemplatively. "Okay, Harry. I'll be patient, but I do want to know everything later. Just let me know if you need anything." The thought of using her time-turner crossed her mind to help Harry, but Hermione knew it would be reckless to go back in time simply to fix teenage drama, even if it was for Harry.

Harry met her eyes and nodded with a slight smile. As they started walking, Harry had the comforting thought that he could always count on Hermione. Ron, too, but Hermione was more singularly-minded when helping, the Firebolt situation being proof of that. His thoughts then drifted to the dismal idea that his short life had contained too few people he could trust fully, which dampened his mood. Even my godfather is trying to kill me, he thought resentfully.

Hermione noticed she was losing Harry to dark thoughts again and decided to lighten the mood with an observation and conclusion Harry wouldn't have fully made yet. "You know, I think one of your bodyguards was jealous of the Greengrass rumors. What are you going to do about her?" She then gave Harry a little elbow on his side and flashed a teasing smile.

Do? About who? Then it hit him - Katie! Yes, he had a crush on Katie, as well as Cho Chang, but he hadn't thought too deeply about those feelings for the simple reason that everything related to witches was currently beyond his 13 year-old mind. Katie's odd behavior was now clearer thanks to Hermione. The idea that Katie fancied him simultaneously terrified him and filled him with warm, tingly sensation. Maybe he would ask Hermione what to do, though it would have to wait until after fixing the Daphne Greengrass situation. Before Harry could reply, they had reached the rest of the Gryffindors waiting for Transfiguration. Everyone eyed him conspicuously.

Ron immediately walked up to his best friends and started recapping his morning. "Hey, Harry, Hermione, sorry I missed you for breakfast."

"No worries, mate. You're lucky you haven't been near me," said in a self-deprecating way. "What were you up to then?"

"I slept later than intended and then a 7th year wanted to wager on a chess match after Percy complained about losing to me. Apparently he didn't think a 3rd year could find their way around a board. I couldn't turn him down. A few sickles here and there add up."

Harry reassured Ron. "Cheers, Ron. I get it. Money for Hogsmeade, right?"

Ron replied quickly, "Right-o, butterbeer doesn't grow on trees." An uncomfortable expression then grew on his face. "Er, so, Harry, mate, what are these rumors about you and Daphne Greengrass? You've only ever mentioned her once and that was to say she was polite and helpful after you got paired together in Potions the one time. That's something people say about a shop assistant."

"There's nothing wrong with being polite and helpful, Ron," Harry responded defensively. He was feeling increasingly protective of her with every encounter that morning.

Ron raised his eyebrows. "Easy, Harry, I meant no offense. I just didn't know. We haven't seen each other since before you went to Quidditch practice last night. I reckon there must be something to these rumors if you're reacting like this."

Hermione chimed in, "Harry's had a long day already, Ron. The abuse started early today."

Harry ran a hand through his black hair and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked at Ron and replied apologetically, "Sorry for snapping, Ron. You're fine, I'm fine." Ron nodded his acknowledgement. Harry nodded in return and gave a resigned sigh, "Great, I guess I can't avoid this. What did you hear, mate?"

"Well, that's the thing. Which rumor do you want to hear?" Ron should have realized it was dangerous being the messenger.

Harry glared at Ron in annoyance and inclined his head towards Ron. "Why don't you pick your favorite?" His glare dulled immediately upon seeing Ron frown and reddening ears. "Sorry again - this day and all the sodding idiots have me on edge," Harry said ruefully.

The youngest Weasley son simply raised his eyebrows and then proceeded, "Right. I'll tell you all of them. The ones I've heard anyway. Blimey, I hope this doesn't mess with your head for the Quidditch game." Ron rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Ron, don't worry about me and Quidditch," Harry said sharply. There was an air of confidence in the statement that caused Ron to momentarily smile.

Hermione came to the redhead's defense. "No, Harry, Ron's not wrong. Your mind lingers on things more when they affect other people and then you blame yourself. There's no way out of it though. Go ahead, Ron."

Ron briefly beamed at Hermione for telling him he wasn't wrong, then sucked in his breath and hesitated. "Blimey, where to start? Well, I assume you've heard the one where she's your girlfriend. There's the one where she put you under the Imperius Curse. Then the Slytherin's are saying it's the opposite and you put Greengrass under the Imperius. There is one about a secret betrothal contract. Oh, and I hope this one isn't true, the one about her seducing you to lose the Quidditch match against Slytherin. And, er, did you hear the one about her working with Sirius Black to get you? That one's kinda scary, innit? Considering…you and, er, everything really. Anyways, I reckon there are more by now."

Harry looked at Ron mouth agape, finding it inconceivable that the rumors were this ridiculous. "This is just great. Really great," Harry said sarcastically as he looked back and forth between Ron and Hermione with unfocused eyes. "She's going to kill me," he muttered as he rubbed his eyes under his glasses with both hands.

Ron looked at Harry worriedly. "You're not serious, are you, mate? Is she really working with Sirius Black to kill you? Maybe she let him into the castle…" Ron gulped.

The other Gryffindors immediately began whispering to each other.

Harry gave Ron an exasperated glare and said, "She's not actually trying to kill me, Ron. None of those rumors are true. It doesn't mean she won't be angry at me. Maybe I should skip class to find her and apologize." Harry's face was anxious and distressed.

Lavender could be overheard saying, "Aw, I told you he cared about her, Pahv."

Hermione rolled her eyes at her dorm mates gossiping. "You better do it soon, Harry. Don't forget we have Defense with the Slytherins in the afternoon," she reminded him reluctantly, as she bit her lip.

Harry froze and he paled as the panic slowly filled his body at Hermione's words. There's not enough time. I'm the arsehole.

Even Ron could see how distressed Harry was. "Oh, Merlin. It'll be alright, Harry. Why didn't you tell us about her? Me and Hermione can help. Normally you have to be pretty careful around Slytherins, but she seems alright. Keeps to herself, never treats us like dirt, and has a sister in Hufflepuff. She can't be all that bad if she has a 'Puff in the family."

Harry wondered how Ron knew Daphne had a sister in Hufflepuff. Harry sure didn't know. Before he could ask Ron, an unknown wizard yelled down the corridor in passing and caught the attention of all the 3rd year Gryffindors waiting for Transfiguration. "Potter! Potter! Stay away from our Slytherin witches!" Then "Depulso" could be heard just before an object was banished towards them.

The Gryffindors were frozen in place watching the flying mystery object, the poorly lit corridors working against the congregated students. Seamus was the first to identify the danger and raised the alarm. "Oi! That Slytherin nutter banished a Dungbomb at us!"

Just as the Dungbomb was closing in on Harry, Hermione uttered, "Wingardium Leviosa," which raised the trajectory of the foul-smelling projectile above everyone's heads until it lost momentum and came to rest floating above the door to Professor McGonagall's classroom. There was a clamor among the Gryffindors at the close call with the Dungbomb and the strange set of events involving one of their own with a Slytherin.

All the noise brought Professor McGonagall into the doorway. She immediately noticed the floating Dungbomb above her head and pursed her lips together in the signature symbol of her agitation. She silently vanished the Dungbomb with a flick of her wand and glared up and down the Transfiguration corridor at her students. The perturbed witch said sternly, "Does anyone care to explain this to me?"

All eyes traitorously snapped over to Harry.

Harry puffed out his cheeks and slowly nodded in acceptance of the cosmic forces at play. "Yeah, bloody brilliant day," he groaned.

Hermione didn't have the heart to admonish Harry for his language and instead sympathetically patted his back.

Ron whispered, "Bloody hell, the first class hasn't even started yet. Mate, you better use your cloak to get around today. Don't want you stinking up Gryffindor Tower before the big match."

Harry sighed again, nodded to Ron in agreement, and mumbled dejectedly, "Just great."


Daphne had not been having a particularly pleasant day either. The fallout from the rumors about her and Harry Potter began almost immediately after she left the hospital wing and ruined the good feelings from her conversations with Madam Pomfrey and Astoria. Her day got progressively worse and harder to deal with.

Snide remarks and mild confrontations followed her the whole trip from the hospital wing to the Slytherin common room and then throughout the rest of the castle. Neither age nor Hogwarts house nor gender nor blood status mattered. Daphne was being harassed from all sides and for different reasons. Some thought they were protecting the Boy-Who-Lived or the Gryffindor seeker or their chance at romance with the most famous student in the school. Others took offense on behalf of things such as Slytherin house, the honor of upstanding pure-bloods against upstart half-bloods, or the propriety of proper witches.

One specific encounter in the Slytherin common room was particularly aggravating. An uneasy Theodore Nott shuffled up to Daphne. "Miss Greengrass, may I have a word with you? It will only take a moment,"

Daphne mentally rolled her eyes at the formality of the request. She was sure this would be about the Potter rumors swirling around her, with the subtext being that Nott's crush on her was under threat by another wizard's interest. Daphne was expecting the conversation to test her patience, yet, ultimately, she had to play the game to get through the day unscathed. "Yes, you may, Mr. Nott," Daphne said in a kind manner. It took years of practice to speak in that pleasant tone in those circumstances.

Nott put his hands behind his back. "Pardon the formal nature of this encounter, Miss Greengrass. Many Slytherins heard concerning news today and we would like to convey a reminder to you. A proper witch should have her attention on proper wizards." It seemed more lecture than conversation.

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Nott. There is nothing to the chatter and I will remember this message," Daphne said politely, biting the inside of her cheek to help prevent from saying anything else..

Nott gaved a pleased nod. "I should hope so. We are only looking out for your good reputation, which reflects on your family and other pure-bloods."

She pretended to graciously accept the comments and said, "That is very kind and generous of you. Please tell the others that I, and the Greengrass family, appreciate their concern as well. Have a good day in class." She nodded and proceeded toward her dorm room.

Outwardly, Daphne had been polite and full of poise. Inwardly, she was seething at the implied threat and attempt at controlling her. Daphne's thoughts were less restrained about Theodore Nott than her words had been. Swine. Wanker. What a complete and utter fraud. She immediately cast silencing charms when she reached her empty dorm room and began to loudly elaborate on her feelings. "Bunch of bloody pigs!" she yelled at one point as she threw a pillow at the wall, knocking over a bottle of muggle French perfume. Luckily, only the lid was damaged and the crack was easily fixed with a quick Reparo. Still, it added to Daphne's bad day.

The whole morning had put her out of sorts making her feel quite miserable. Daphne experienced similar encounters with a handful of other Slytherin wizards and witches throughout the morning. Some questioned her house loyalty; some insinuated she was a blood traitor; a few secretly expressed their jealousy over her mingling outside of Slytherin or for catching Harry Potter's interest. Her cousin Cassius Warrington even approached her in the entrance hall later that morning to thank her as she was on her way to Herbology. She tried to pretend like he didn't see him coming.

"Cousin Daphne, wait," he said as he walked quickly toward her.

Brilliant, I have to deal with this erumpent-faced cousin. "Yes, Cassius. I can't linger too long. I need to get to the greenhouses for class then we have lunch," she replied politely.

Her cousin looked downright chipper. "The Quidditch team sends their regards for distracting Potter. I heard you put him in the hospital wing last night. I think you might now be my favorite cousin," Warrington said gleefully.

Argh. This was annoying. Daphne was just looking to get Herbology, her safe haven. She had to deny this rumor. "Don't believe the rumors, Cassius. I don't even know Potter," she said flatly.

Warrington gave her a wink. "Sure you don't. This will be our little secret. You're a true Slytherin, cousin." The 5th year Slytherin then walked away without saying another word and began to whistle as he walked down the corridor.

Brute and idiot. He was only decent in small doses and outside the confines of the school. Even then he leaned toward terrible and would tease Astoria for her weak disposition.

Daphne finally made it to Greenhouse 3. Normally Herbology with the Ravenclaws was one of her favorite times of the week. She thought it would offer a respite from the continuous harassment from the Harry Potter situation, but not on this day. The other three members of her typical Herbology foursome were also her best friends - Tracey Davis, Morag MacDougal, and Lisa Turpin. Today they were no respite and proved ruthless in their interrogation over the rumors about Harry Potter. In typical friend-fashion, they bombarded Daphne with questions, theories, fanciful daydreams, and jokes. As expected, Lisa and Tracey were completely embarrassing to work with. The only thing worse would have been Astoria joining the group.

The lesson on Valerian became secondary to the group. If she had been able to pay attention, then Daphne would have heard something helpful about its sedative properties to help on her project. Instead she had to endure her exasperating friends.

Despite the teasing, Daphne was happy for the friendly company and told her friends about her day and the harassment she experienced, especially from Slytherin boys.

Morag said, "Some of the Slytherin boys in this school are so odd and old-fashioned. Don't they understand that type of behavior keeps the witches away? There are a few pure-blood Ravenclaw boys somewhat like that, but most are fine and don't have pudding for brains." The witches all had a nice, unsophisticated laugh at that comment.

Lisa added, "Parvati Patil told me that the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor boys she knows aren't like that at all." Lisa then looked at her friends and mischievously grinned while saying, "You seem to already have one of those Gryffindors hooked, Daffy Dear."

Daphne huffed. "Would you stop channeling my dear sister, Lisa? The original is bad enough. And for the last time, Potter and I have no kind of relationship. He's too much of a Gryffindor for my taste. I need more privacy than he can offer."

Lisa replied with coyishness, "Pity. Clean him up and he's a catch." She seemed to be debating something with herself before proceeding to add nonchalantly, "Could you introduce me since you seem to be uninterested?"

Daphne stared at Lisa for a moment. Is she trying to swoop in on Potter? She dismissed her errant, possessive thought and instead just rolled her eyes at Lisa without responding, then turned to her other Ravenclaw partner. "Morag, my mother was in Slytherin and married a Ravenclaw. She warns Astoria and me every time we leave for Hogwarts about the mentality of Slytherin boys. Mother had a bad experience in her 6th year with her Slytherin beau and she swore her daughters would never marry a Slytherin. She hasn't been wrong about them."

Morag hummed pensively as she took in the information. "Are all Slytherins boys on your ignore list?"

Daphne furrowed her eyebrows while collecting her thoughts before answering. "My mind is not on boys at all, aside from defending myself from them. I'm not the only witch in this castle in that frame of mind." She gave pointed looks at her friends and they all nodded in assent. Daphne continued cheerlessly, "Mother has been completely accurate about Slytherin boys and most other boys are reluctant to talk to me because I'm a Slytherin. That's sure to annoy me when I'm ready to talk to them."

"Even Blaise?" Morag asked.

Daphne tilted her head pensively and waited a few beats before replying. "Blaise is fine, no complaints with him. However, Blaise is off limits, right, Tracey dear?" Daphne asked in an unassuming voice.

Tracey scrunched her face and replied in an annoyed tone, "Very funny, Daphne. Don't turn this around on me. You're the witch of the hour. What boys do you fancy if Slytherins aren't to your liking?"

"None. I've told you. I'm only a 3rd year and not boy-crazy like two witches I know named Lisa and Tracey. I prefer to focus on my project and this lesson on Valerian could help, so let's stop focusing on me." Daphne turned away to shift her attention to Professor Sprout.

Tracey shook her head in resignation. "Oh you and your projects. Please take a break on occasion. You know I understand your situation, but I worry about you, too. I know the rumors aren't true, but you need Potter or another wizard like him to bring more excitement to your life!"

Daphne's friends all chuckled at Tracey's half plea, half joke. They all knew it was true. They understood why Daphne was overserious for a 3rd year and why she focused on her project, but they still worried about her not having much fun. For example, she had only gone to Hogsmeade once that year.

The studious Slytherin was filled with visible consternation. Her patience was running low. "I definitely do not, Tracey! You've been talking to Astoria too much. The idea of Harry Potter is much different than the reality of Harry Potter."

"And how would you know that, Daph?" quipped Tracey.

She opened her mouth to retort, but no reply came to mind. Daphne's quick wit abandoned her and then her friends burst into giggles.

Daphne couldn't do anything except give them an icy, frustrated glare, which only served to prolong her friends' giggles. The icy blue eyes were then full of hurt and tears started forming.

Morag was the first to recover and notice. "Sorry, Daphne. We'll stop."

"Yeah, Daph, we were only teasing. I'm sorry, too," Lisa said.

"Thanks. It's been a long day already and everyone except you, Madam Pomfrey, and Astoria have been awful," she said wearily while turning to look at each of them. Feeling as though she hurt her friends' feelings, Daphne wiped away her tears and added, "Thanks for joking with me. I needed your support, too."

Tracey had tears in her eyes as well and abruptly hugged Daphne. "Oh, Daph, I feel so bad. I didn't know you were hurting this much. Whatever you need, we're here for you."

Daphne choked up a bit at Tracey's reaction. "Thanks, Trace. I really needed to hear that."